I just wanna get rid of this one ab slab, and it's turned out to be a lot harder than losing 60 frigging lbs in 6 months. Well if it forces me to get my diet and nutrition pimped out I'm cool with it.

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You have destroyed us. You found the flaw in the crystal. We are gone. You are alone.

I'm reading this thread, and all I can think is: I want some pizza.

Seriously, though, I really wish beer wasn't my main hobby, because I'm 100% sure I'd drop about 20 lbs if I just stopped drinking all together. So there's your warning, kids. Don't become a wine/beer/bourbon snob. It will get you in the end.

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My single greatest contribution to the board: "42-13" (formerly 24-14)

I like to think that I've mastered the art of drinking and have moved on to bigger and better things.

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You have destroyed us. You found the flaw in the crystal. We are gone. You are alone.

I keep on reading the title and seeing "squirts"

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RIP ROAD WOES 12/2/2012

Before the thread goes too far down the road of the typical .net snarkfest, I want to consolidate the things that caught me eye out of the discussion.



Yea his crowding concept makes a world of sense to me. Taking a positive posture towards change rather than feeling like you're denying yourself something and the change is more likely to stick and you're gonna feel better about it.

Regarding sugar, I looked it up and the USDA recommended daily intake for A 2kcal/day diet is 32 grams. a single can of coca cola has 39 grams of sugar. Ketchup is over 20% sugar by weight. It's all pervasive and the daily recommendations are very easily exceeded just in the food most people eat on a daily basis that they don't think of as 'sweet'.

Not only that, what's with all the stuff in food that ends in 'ose'? It's stuff that's been dicked with at a molecular level so it's not officially 'sugar', when in reality it's one or two molecules away and confuses the the body because there's no payoff associated with the 'sweet' flavor, so the body keeps craving and chasing something that isn't there. That's why people don't lose weight from diet soda I rekcon, just makes people hungry.



You're like the tom cable of nutrition. I love simple sayings that are easy to remember and keep top of mind. I really like the idea of having a goal to work towards, gives one focus. I'm focusing on a surf trip to Indonesia this summer, which would have been an impossibility just a few months ago.



It really seems like you and absolut are 90% on the same page. I'm totally on board with eating whole foods, adding a LOT more plant based matter, and getting away from processed stuff as much as practical. it might not be Convenient, but I am on board with the idea that a properly nourished and exercised body will be healthy all on it's own, no need to 'diet' or feel like your going hungry. I think I've been shoveling all this junk in my mouth for so long my brain no longer knows how to interpret and differentiate various types of impulses; what they mean, beyond hungry and thirsty. I'm hopeful that with a clean diet my brain can learn how to interpret what it's being told and the impulses that pop into my head become more specific and accurate.

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You have destroyed us. You found the flaw in the crystal. We are gone. You are alone.

One of things I really enjoy about living in the Pacific Northwest is that it's very easy to eat seasonal vegetables which makes a world of difference where it concerns flavor. Also, there's so much organic food out here, and it's only a couple dollars more expensive than the 'mass produced' stuff (I know that organic food can be produced in large quantities) so with some good budgeting it's easier to get there. Growing up in Wisconsin, I was always under the impression life was out of a can or out of a casserole, and because of it, I wound up being a very picky eater. Now I'm able to enjoy most anything. (Except raw red onions and raw tomatoes).

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My single greatest contribution to the board: "42-13" (formerly 24-14)

Regarding sugar: I haven't gotten super deep into sugar but it's my next area of focus researchwise. Obviously processed sugar is bad and really all sugar acts the same (in a vacuum) inside the body. There is some research supporting sugar combined with fiber being more "ok". Meaning, if you eat a whole apple WITH the skin you're consuming less "bad sugar" than if you had peeled the apple. Obviously this doesn't just apply to apples and I'm not sure if you can just "add fiber" through other foods or if it has to be the fiber of THAT food (Ie the apple skin).

But I think, in general, you're rolling the right way Sad. Processed food should be eliminated if possible, nobody who manufactures processed food for a living is thinking about the end result of the people eating the food. That is a harsh reality. They don't care about anything but profits. If you just buy organic, whole foods and process them yourself it makes a huge difference. Partly because you're not using chemicals and other additives to process things in huge batches and partly because you get more nutrition from foods by eating them more quickly following the processing of them.

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President of the Perfect Parents Society - est. 2013

Thx jester. This conversation was very helpful for me.

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You have destroyed us. You found the flaw in the crystal. We are gone. You are alone.

Yea we got farmer's markets all over in Florida and lots of roadside fruit and vegetable stands. Can get great deals, way cheaper than the grocery store if you're a savvy shopper. And fresh picked tastes a lot better no question.

I just need to make that kind of shopping a regular staple instead of the occasional lark.

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You have destroyed us. You found the flaw in the crystal. We are gone. You are alone.

Any suggestions on how to really tone the midsection? I'm at a size 38 now...started around a 42/44. Want to get to around the 32-34 range.

It seems like the gut has been the most stubborn area to really cut out fat and tone.

There are tons of ab exercises. Work the lower abs first, then the upper. It should not be done in reverse of this. And if you don't drink alcohol then there is something else that you are doing that is preventing the loss of that last bit of flab.

Remember, fat cells imbed themselves in areas that have had accumulations in the past and they stay there. So the first place fat goes is to those cells and they glom onto it.

BUAHAHAHA, this is so true; and those people salt the holy hell out of everything. Including their freaking beer. I'm starting to wonder if excessive salt is really bad for you or not, though; my grandparents that live in Wisconsin are still kicking at the ages of 86 and 83 I believe, and I've watched them pour ridiculous amounts of salt on everything my whole life. My grandmother makes tomato sandwiches where she sits there salting the tomato for like, 30 seconds. Seriously, by the time she's done, you can barely see the tomato. It's ridiculous. Yet, they're still alive and in relatively good health.

Thanks, I'm thinking of incorporating some kettlebell training into my routine as well. A dude I know swears by them in terms of working core stability and functional strength. He says too many people that lift with bad technique/form/bad core stability are only compounding muscular imbalances that already exist. Not that lifting is bad, but it should only be done if the core stability and balance are not being neglected.


He's also a big proponent of making sure to stretch the hip flexors and activate/exercise the hamstrings...and that so many injuries that happen (ACL etc) are a result of too much quad dominance in the legs.

I've been working abs, but every other day. Maybe its something I should do every day? Though what I've read seems to have a mixed opinion on this.

Lower abs are a real bitch in particular in terms of flab removal!

Lose more body fat. You can have the best built abs in the world but if their is fat covering it, you won't see them. You can't spot reduce fat either, so 1000 crunches a day (which is a dubious exercise at best anyway) won't help the matter. Keep losing weight and keep your diet locked in. The stomach is a problem for most people for a reason, your body is going to fight to keep that fat around.

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I do abs (not the mod) twice a day. The low ab exercise I do is was given by a PT. It involves doing leg extensions in a scissor type motion while laying on your back. Raise both legs up with your hands face down under you ass, then move one leg out to the side keeping the other straight up, do this with the other side, then bring your feet together and kick out both at the same time. Do sets of 10....They kick my ass every time, and really help my drumming/singing.

Tell me about it. I was kicking ass until I got to this last 18-20 lbs.

I think kicking the sugar to the curb was the right call. Replacing sweets with fiber rich complex carbohydrates makes my body work harder to break the food down and avoid the yo yo effect of eating simple carbs and sugar, has to help I reckon. It was hard as hell for the first 10 days or so but now I don't find myself craving sweets like I did initally. Now it's just a more generalized feeling of being hungry.

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You have destroyed us. You found the flaw in the crystal. We are gone. You are alone.

Want kick ass abs?

1. Get your diet in check.
2. Do deadlifts - No whiny BS about old injuries to your knees/back/uvula. Use some form and just do them.

Want to add kick ass obliques?

1. Add snatches and/or overhead squats
2. Add turkish get-ups

Think you're a badass? Do either/both overhead squats and/or turkish get-ups with a slosh pipe.

I wanted to try turkish get-ups with a slosh pipe, but my wife isn't that adventurous.

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President of the Perfect Parents Society - est. 2013